The Bear Affair
by Thesaurusgirl
Summary: Marcus gets caught in a very compromising position.What will he be willing to do to cover it up?


**Disclaimer: I have to say this, 'Kay? I have no claim financial or creatively on any of Terminator characters or any connection to the franchise. Original characters are mine. There that's out of the way. This little one shotter has been bouncing around in my head for a while. It's not a dark heavy piece, just felt like having a little fun. As you may know, I'm a Marcus fan and have, like many of you, decided to ignore the awful decision to kill the character off. Without further ado, here goes. **

The Bear Affair

Marcus Wright frowned in the direction of the Connor's large tent. Little Robert Brewster Connor was crying again.

"I feel your pain kid" Marcus muttered, agreeing with the wailing child. Connor's resistance force was just bedding down in their second new location in as many months. All the moving around had everyone grouchy, especially the kids. The youngest Connor was making his displeasure known to everyone within earshot.

When the child's cries continued unchecked for several more minutes, Marcus straightened, pulling his head out from under the hood of the salvaged car he was working on. Sheltered under a big tree with wide, spreading braches, this had seemed to be the ideal spot to work on the vehicle and still avoid the southern California sun, but maybe he'd been wrong about that. He didn't dislike babies or anything, but his position was he'd leave them alone if they did the same for him. When one of 'em started yowling and wouldn't stop, it grated on his nerves. Finally tossing aside the wrench he'd been using, Wright clamped down the car's hood, wiped his hands and headed for John and Kate Connor's nearby dwelling.

"Where's your babysitter kid?" Marcus asked the unhappy Robby, as everyone called the boy. Entering the cool interior and looking around, Marcus saw no one. That was WRONG in a big way, Wright knew. He wasn't big on child care, probably never would be, but leaving the kid alone? Uh uh. Nope, wrongo. Nan Loring, Robby's sitter, better have a real good explanation for this one. The Connor's had no tolerance when it came to their son.

Walking to the ten month olds' bed, he half grunted, half groaned and bowed to the inevitable. Marcus reached down and scooped the child up pleased he still remembered how to hold one. It had been a _really_ long time since he'd done this. At least with a live baby. The plastic kid from the microchip raid on Skynet didn't count.

Making shushing noises, he gently bounced Robby in his arms, greatly satisfied when the shrill caterwauling ceased. Still marginally upset, the baby gazed up at him with John Connors' hazel eyes. Marcus wanted to get back to work on the car, (and away from Robby, who any second was likely to need changing or feeding or some other baby type thing), but there was still no sign of Loring. Or Kate. Or Connor. What had he gotten himself into? And how was he going to get out of it?

Ever so gently, he tried placing Robby back on his soft bedding, but quickly discovered, to his dismay, that it wasn't going to be that easy. The moment Robby's head touched the pillow, he filled his lungs and let loose with a mighty bellow of unhappiness.

Marcus grimaced. "Shush!" He picked the baby back up, rocking him again. This was horrible! He was trapped! Help someone! Anyone! Anybody at all! Idiot, he berated himself. Why hadn't he just tuned the kid out? Wright looked around desperately. He couldn't be seen like this, him of all people, with John Connor's bawling kid in his arms! He could imagine the reaction. Loring where are you? He screamed the words in his head. Every time he attempted to put the baby down, the boy would draw breath as a prelude to voicing more ear-splitting displeasure. Marcus could think of nothing else to do. Reaching way back to when his deceased younger brother Sam had been a little one, Marcus Wright, hardened ex con, former bank robber, death row alumni and former unwitting Skynet puppet, sucked it up and unleashed his ultimate weapon on the child. He sat on Kate and John's bed holding Robby. Might as well get it over with. He began.

"Once upon a time there were three bears. A papa bear, a mama bear, and little baby bear. They all live very happily in a cottage in the woods…"

Kate Connor was finally seeing her last patient. She hoped. It had been a non-stop day so far, giving her barely time to take a breath. Wolfing down a sandwich delivered to her several hours earlier, she went in search of her husband. She carried a spare sandwich for her spouse in her other hand. She meant to make sure John got some food in him, too. He would go without food or rest until he dropped if she didn't stay after him. John wasn't a micromanaging leader, but she knew he was acutely conscious of his role in defeating Skynet. He would be as involved as possible every waking minute of every day.

She located him hunched with his battle planners over a set of maps laid out on the converted door that served as a conference table. Heads down, discussing some future action, they didn't notice her entrance right away. Then Connor realized his wife was standing behind him.

"Kate, is something wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing is wrong. But I'll bet you haven't had anything since breakfast, right? Have you even had breakfast John?" Connor's guilty flush answered that question far more effectively than words.

"I'm fine" he answered gruffly, nonplussed at being publicly caught out by his wife. "I'll get something later."

"Nope, right now General Connor" Kate told him. Putting on her doctor hat, which not even the leader of the resistance could out flank, she continued. "Your ongoing good health means you have to take proper care of yourself. Meaning you can't keep skipping meals. And you're no more immune to needing the proper amount of rest than any one of your soldiers, mister." She flashed a wifely smile at the others around the table.

"Gentlemen, ladies. I'm going to borrow the general for a while. As his doctor, I've determined he needs to get some food into him followed by some rest."

Connor tried to protest, but Kate pulled medical rank. Checking his officers for support, John found it conspicuously lacking. None of them would even look him in the eye. Cowards. He gave up.

"Alright, you win" he sighed to Kate. He could never refuse her anyway. He let her drag him gently in the direction of their tent. They could relieve Nan Loring for a while. Softly lifting the flap in case Robby was sleeping, both parents got the surprise of their lives.

"…Somebody's been eating my porridge too!" Marcus Wright was saying in a childish, high pitched voice, "and they ate it all up! Boo hoo!"

Enraptured, Robby Connor lay contented in Wright's arms as the fascinating tale progressed.

Kate stopped her husband as he started to speak. One finger over her lips, she shook her head, grinning. She let the tent flap close slowly, leaving just a crack. She and John listened with increasing amusement as Marcus went on, describing the devastation visited upon the hapless bear family by the manners challenged Goldilocks. Complete with gruff deep voice for the papa bear, prissy mama bear vocals and piping baby bear whine, the furry family ultimately uncovered their blond intruder, soundly asleep in the baby bear's bed.

"…and there she is!" Marcus squeaked, aptly expressing the smallest bear's outrage at the appropriation of his resting place. Of course, roused by the bears, Goldilocks soon made her escape, having learned a valuable lesson, Wright informed the nearly completely asleep baby.

The little guy's eyes were mere slits now. It should be safe to put him back in his bed, Marcus decided. Then he was going in search of Nancy Loring. She had some serious explaining to do, and not just to John and Kate. He very carefully put Robby Connor back in bed, stood up straight, turned around to leave and looked directly at Kate and John Connor.

"How, uh…how…how long have you been there?" Wright asked, trying, and failing, not to sound embarrassed.

"Oh, I believe we came in just as the baby bear was discovering somebody had eaten breakfast out from under him, right Kate?" Connor turned to his wife.

"You know, John, I think you're right. Just about then. The poor thing sounded so upset!" Kate burbled, on the edge of laughter.

Great, wonderful, Marcus considered ruefully. Not only was he busted, but they'd heard him doing the voices too. Crap. He searched the parent's faces for some sign of mercy, but found none.

"Alright" he said, resigned, "Let's have it. What's it gonna take to keep this quiet?"

"Hmmm" Connor rubbed his chin, pretending to think it over. "What you would you say is a fair price for our silence, Kate?"

"I'm not sure" Kate replied. "This is pretty important. Maybe an unlimited number of story times. You know, for when we have trouble getting Robby to sleep?"

Connor nodded his agreement, giving Marcus Wright the smuggest look possible.

Damn. They had him, and Marcus knew it. Not even his agile brain could think of a way out of this one. Disgusted mostly with himself, he caved.

"Fine, just let me know when. Now if you don't mind, I have to get back to work. You might want to have a long talk with Nancy Loring" referring to the AWOL sixteen year old sitter. "She was nowhere in sight when I got here. Robby was crying, that's why I…never mind. I'll be leaving now." Wright marched out with as much dignity as he could scrounge up. John and Kate's smothered laughter followed him.

Story telling duty. For baby Connor. On demand. Marcus knew wherever he was, Sam was laughing his ass off.

**THE END**


End file.
